The present invention relates to games where opposing players volley a tethered object back and forth, and to a scoring system. More particularly, the present invention relates to a simulated volleyball game wherein a tethered ball is propelled by air across an associated game board between two opposing players, and to a scoring system which may utilize air bubbles to show points.
The prior art discloses a number of action board games where two players compete for points by propelling an object back and forth across the board. Examples of such action games are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,286,785; 4,047,717 (FIGS. 22-28) and 3,995,859. The crowded nature of the prior art is indicative of the large demand in the toy market for action board games. Although several expedients and methods are employed to facilitate the play of these action games, none provide the features and advantages of the present invention.
The prior art also discloses a number of different scoring indicators for action board games. However, none provide a scoring system such as that provided in the present invention which, among other things, provides an air bubble scoring system wherein air bubbles are manually or automatically released into a liquid within a translucent container so that the score of a game, such as the simulated volleyball game of the present invention, can be constantly displayed during the pendency of the game.
The use of air as a means for propelling an object is a known expedient in many different arts. However, air has not been used in action board games as a propulsion means for propelling a tethered object between two opposing players. The present invention provides a simulated volleyball game which may use an air pump, manual or automatic, to propel a tethered object between two teams arranged on opposite sides of a game board. This same air pump, or an air line thereof, may also be used to control movement of game pieces along the game board. Still further, the air pump may be associated with the air bubble scoring system so that it can be used to operate both the play of the game and the scoring.